Why don't we see massive protests over illegal wars like we saw during the vietnam war anymore

[Conan]

Draft
Cultural revolution of the 60s
The media's role in bringing the war stories home for the first time
Civil Rights Movement (MLK was very much anti-Vietnam)

Interesting time in America's history.

 

[Wargames]

No draft and they have the media purposely avoid showing the caskets and injured people from the war. They’ve effectively create a situation where the war feels abstract for most people unless they are connected to the military

 

[Jalether]

A few reasons:
1) No draft. If there was a draft, you would see more people upset.
2) War is fought through drones and contractors now. US military presence is all over the world and we killing a lot of people, but not many bodies are on the line unless they are getting paid significantly or doing video game work.
3) The media don't cover any of the wars which is the opposite of the early aughts when there was a significant anti-war movement.
4) The Democratic Party co-opted the anti-war movement by being anti-Bush, while still supporting the war machine. "Afghanistan is the smart war."

Pretty strong points.

 

[Consigliere]

Societal apathy. And it’s much bigger than a lack of an anti-war movement.

We saw a glimpse last year during the Floyd protests of what needs to happen in these protest spaces. And then we also saw how the state and corporations work together to put them back in their box without addressing any of the people’s concerns.

 

[badboys11]

Biggest difference is if you were born in the late 40s early 50s, u stood a good chance of being drafted and told to fight for survival in a hostile jungle full of people trying to kill u, or be labeled a criminal and possibly outcasted from society.

Vietnam traumatized a lot of the children who came of age in that era, whether they served or not. It wasn't a choice, and rich kids didn't have to go.

Iraq/Afghanistan was a choice. If u had awareness of geopolitics in the late 90s, it was clear we were heading to war with the middle east, the war with Iraq didn't stop in 91, it just didn't make headlines

If u made the decision to join the military knowing it's racial history, how vets were treated after Vietnam, and catchy slogans such as "The Marines. Travel to new places. Meet exotic people. And kill them", I don't have really have any sympathy for any trauma suffered. You chose that life.

And since America didn't really suffer from mass casualties, both at home and abroad, nobody cared about poor brown people being blown up halfway across the globe, nobody had to change their lifestyle to accommodate the killings.

#1 song in the country when Iraq got invaded was 50 cent in da club. Everybody was too busy living it up to care

 

[mastermind]

#1 song in the country when Iraq got invaded was 50 cent in da club. Everybody was too busy living it up to care

That's not true at all. There was a big anti-war movement in that era and the Democrats tapped into it and co-opted it.

 

[badboys11]

That's not true at all. There was a big anti-war movement in that era and the Democrats tapped into it and co-opted it.

Wasn't that big of a movement to begin with if politicians could corrupt it. Bush was reelected easily. People really didn't care

 

[mastermind]

Wasn't that big of a movement to begin with if politicians could corrupt it. Bush was reelected easily. People really didn't care

You don't understand capitalism. Ain't no movement big enough to not be co-opted. (we saw it last year)

The problem is people accept that it's fine.

The Civil Rights Movement was co-opted so badly that you have people giving credit to politicians for it.

 

[Jalether]

That's not true at all. There was a big anti-war movement in that era and the Democrats tapped into it and co-opted it.

That's not true. Overwhelming majority of the country, media,politicians and citizens alike were all in favour of the iraq war.

They wanted vengeance for 9/11 and all bought into the "weapons of mass destruction" lie

Barbara lee was the lone Democrat vote against the war in congress and michael moore was booed off stage for expressing opposition to the war

 

[Broke Wave]

The CIA destroyed all revolutionary dissent in the U.S. look up COINTELPRO

 

[mastermind]

That's not true. Overwhelming majority of the country, media,politicians and citizens alike were all in favour of the iraq war.

They wanted vengeance for 9/11 and all bought into the "weapons of mass destruction" lie

The overwhelming majority of the country were saying the Civil Rights movement was asking for too much too fast in the 50s and 60s, including many black people.

I also never said the anti-war Iraq war movement took the entire country. I said it was a big movement. There were marches that had hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

It wasn’t as big as the Vietnam War, but it was large.

Protests against the Iraq War - Wikipedia

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

You are all wrong IMO
It's not about a draft

It's about the death of journalism and partisan controlled mainstream media.

Most opposition from the war were from democrats, and MSNBC never talks about any of the wars.
that's why they fired Phil Donahue, even CNN is guilty

 

[Eternal Tecate]

because the powers at be have been promoting the idea that change is a fruitless effort ever since those Vietnam protests, in order to avoid them

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

That's not true. Overwhelming majority of the country, media,politicians and citizens alike were all in favour of the iraq war.

They wanted vengeance for 9/11 and all bought into the "weapons of mass destruction" lie

Barbara lee was the lone Democrat vote against the war in congress and michael moore was booed off stage for expressing opposition to the war

Wow, never knew that

 

[Secure Da Bag]

There's been many more BS wars like Iraq, afghanistan,Libya,Yemen et al

Has society grown apathetic or is there another plausible explanation

If the Iraq war had happened in the 70s and with the revelation that followed, The streets of America would have been filled with massive protest

9/11 changed everything. Terrorists had multiple attempt in America and the Western world. But yes, some of it is apathy too. Some of it is political polarization.